Youngsters in top form at Sportshall Champs as Dalrymple takes victory

Norfolk's next generation of athletes competed in the Sportshall Championships at the weekend at the Sportspark. Peter Phillips reports on all the action

Young athletes from all parts of the county descended on the Sportspark for the Norfolk Sportshall Championships at the weekend.

Sportshall athletics consists of a number of events such as standing long jump, vertical jump, shot putt and sprinting, including hurdles events. The age groups range from under 11 to under 15 for both boys and girls. The result is great excitement and lots of fun and all clubs in the county made their mark.

Already some of the athletes have progressed to outside athletics.

Daisy Dalrymple, who won the under 15 standing long jump event, has already made her mark at the English Schools championships and Jaiden Dean was top of the under 13 national hurdles rankings.

Daisy's standing long jump of 2m 46 was excellent and enough to take victory whilst Jaiden, of the City of Norwich club won four events.

Joel Burgess of the Waveney club won a fiercely contested four lap under 15 boys event.

Conrad Winter made his mark in several events, including winning the under 15 shot putt.

Sophie Rushmere from Great Yarmouth showed fine sprinting form in the under 15 two lap race. Lucy Oakley from Ryston produced a shot put of 10m 62 to win the under 13 event.

The event was about much more than individual performances and there was a great deal of fun and enjoyment as an introduction to athletics.

The best from the championships will represent the county in the regional finals at Sportspark next month.

Norfolk has an excellent record at national level too and will surely be represented at Sportscity in Manchester later in the season.

Both shot putter Sophie McKinna and high jumper Chris Baker who represented England at the Commonwealth Games, both progressed through to full athletic events after coming through the Sportshall circuit.

The organisers deserve a lot of credit for this ever-popular and relevant championships.

Norfolk's runners will be in action at the Norfolk Schools cross country championships at the new venue of Langley School next week.